Two Naomis by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovitch and Audrey Vernick – I don’t usually read MG but this one looks super cute, and I like to have books on hand about Real Things to recommend to my friends for their kids. Knowing a good MG to rec for kids of divorce seems like a good thing!

The Opposite of Here by Tara Altebrando – I still have to read The Leaving, but I’m a big enough fan of Altebrando’s other stuff that any of her contemp YA goes onto my TBR automatically

Birthday by Meredith Russo – I was such a fan of If I Was Your Girl, whatever Russo did next was obviously gonna be an instaread, even if it falls outside my category of preference

Certainly, Possibly, You by Lissa Reed – Really enjoyed the first book in this series, and bought this one about halfway through it. I’m writing this post over a week in advance and honestly I’ll probably have read this by the time it posts. (Update: yup)

See All the Stars by Kit Frick – Kit’s always been an awesome supporter of YA, and her debut sounds seriously excellent

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert – This was obviously an auto-add seeing as Melissa is my fabulous editor at the B&N Teen Blog, but I’ve also heard this book is amaaaazing from her CPs, and knowing how many agents were vying for it and how quickly it sold…yeah, I’ve got good feelings

These Ruthless Deeds by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas – recently read and realllllly liked These Vicious Masks by this duo, so obviously I need the sequel!

Happy Top Ten Tuesday, courtesy of the Broke and the Bookish! Today’s topic is about our fall TBRs, and since mine is made of two different categories, I’m gonna share two different top ten lists. See, fall is a massive reading season for me, because I strictly observe all the Jewish holidays that fall within, which means in the month of October I’ll probably read what’ll average to a book a day. And so I’ve decided to use those days to read:

My Most Anticipated 2017 ARCs That I Already Own

and

2016s I Want to Read Before Year’s End

And so, here they are!

My Top Ten Most Anticipated 2017 ARCs That I Already Own

(which I start reading now for blogging purposes, since I generally do the Contemp and LGBTQIAP+ previews for B&N Teen Blog)

Happy Top Ten Tuesday, courtesy of the Broke and the Bookish! This week asks bloggers to pick their top ten favorites from any particular genre, and since I’d never be able to pick my top ten contemp, I went with my second-fave genre, fantasy! So, behold, my top ten all-time fave YA fantasy novels/series/whatever, in no particular order:

Happy Top Ten Tuesday, courtesy of the Broke and the Bookish! Love this topic and love these settings, so I maaaay have cheated a little. (But I did not do UK YA set in the UK or Oz YA set in Australia, FWIW.) (And, hilariously, in thinking of lesser-known titles I legitimately completely forgot about Anna/Isla and the Just One Day/Year duology.) ANYWAY, without further ado…!

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, courtesy of The Broke and the Bookish! I’ve been super lax in my participation due to being busy with a billion other things, but this topic is so self-explanatory and so near and dear to my heart (*cough* especially since five out of my six books apply), I couldn’t pass it up. No explanations necessary, even! So I’m gonna get right down to it, in no particular order!

I only saw this Top Ten Tuesday topic (courtesy of The Broke and the Bookish) once actual posts started popping up on my Twitter feed at midnight, but since it’s a topic I love so much, I’m gonna quickly jump in, despite a sad lack of graphics:

37 Things I Love (In No Particular Order) by Kekla Magoon – grieving, dealing with old relationships, being open to the unexpected when it’s what makes you happy in tough times…this is one of the few f/f books I don’t talk about enough because it’s really not about sexuality and it pretty adamantly doesn’t deal with identity, which I know isn’t everyone’s jam (and also, admittedly, because it has kind of an unfinished feel to me, which is a personal pet peeve in books; what I really want is the sequel to this), but it’s such a valid and real and true human experience.

For Real by Alison Cherry – I love travel books, I love sister books, and I love books with the kind of pacing that makes you never want to put them down. This book was all three, and so much fun while also being really touching.

The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey – This is one I used to talk about a lot, and I think I just trailed off because I read it such a long time ago, but it’s one of my favorite YA fantasies. If killer voice and really fun casts and edge and humor and some queerness are your things like they are mine, make sure you pick this one up in time for the sequel, The Shadow Hour.

Even When You Lie to Me by Jessica Alcott – The books I flail about a lot are usually the ones I confidently know to recommend, but this one, which I really loved, trips me up on that front. You definitely need to be okay reading teacher-student relationship books, but you need to want them to be more about the main character’s personal evolution, and that’s kind of a tricky spot? But I absolutely loved the humor in this, loved where the main character ended up at the end, and loved the raw honesty.

How to Repair a Mechanical Heart by JC Lillis – This is one I actually have yelled about quite a bit, but only very recently, as I was a super late reader. This one has pretty much everything love, especially in Gay YA – tons of chemistry and humor and heart, and also a lot of grappling with one’s own self, in this case in the context of reconciling homosexuality and religion, which I haven’t seen very much in YA at all. Highly, highly rec, especially if you loved Simon.

Up to This Pointe by Jennifer Longo – Another one I used to be really good about shouting about but kinda lost steam on for no reason other than there are SO MANY BOOKS OUT THERE. But honestly, this one is seriously special, in my opinion, as is Longo’s debut, Six Feet Over It. I think she writes beautifully, and she’s a master of setting choice and intertwining it with character development.

The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – this is a killer political thriller, and I guess because she’s a pretty big name in thrillers, I haven’t really mentioned this one as often as I should have because I tend to focus on titles/authors I think need more of a boost? But maaaan, this one was so good and constantly had me guessing wrong. So excited to read the sequel, which is glaring at me from my “immediate TBR” bookcase…

The F- It List by Julie Halpern – I never remember to rec this one enough, and I loved it. The voice! The friendship! The sexual ownership! The way Halpern dealt with cancer! Just…everything. This is the epitome of a Dahlia book.

Guy in Real Life by Steve Brezenoff – I, admittedly, do not read a lot of male authors, but Brezenoff writes such interesting stuff, and this is my so-far-favorite. I love his approach to gaming here and using it to examine both gender identity and empathy, and though I’ve never been a big gamer, it’s so much fun to be drawn back into the little bit of experience I have.

Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander – I have to admit that when I read this book, I would’ve thought I was burned out on cancer-centric love stories from all the Fault in Our Stars hubbub, but this book is actually more what I wish TFIOS would’ve been, I think? It’s so sweet and funny, and a little nerdy, and totally heartbreaking.

I put up the first list last week, so, here’s the second one! As with Top Ten Contemps, this one’s actually Top Ten Contemps + one Magical Realism. And also two Historicals because that’s just the way it is.

(Note: I didn’t include any books that I beta’d, copy edited, or otherwise read before it sold; A) I haven’t read any of them in their final versions, and B) I am way too personally attached to compare them objectively to other books. However, I love love loved the hell out of all of them, hence the personal attachment, so those are listed below my top 10…er, 13…and I highly encourage reading them!

Ten years ago, God gave Braden a sign, a promise that his family wouldn’t fall apart the way he feared.

But Braden got it wrong: his older brother, Trey, has been estranged from the family for almost as long, and his father, the only parent Braden has ever known, has been accused of murder. The arrest of Braden’s father, a well-known Christian radio host, has sparked national media attention. His fate lies in his son’s hands; Braden is the key witness in the upcoming trial.

Braden has always measured himself through baseball. He is the star pitcher in his small town of Ornette, and his ninety-four-mile-per-hour pitch already has minor league scouts buzzing in his junior year. Now the rules of the sport that has always been Braden’s saving grace are blurred in ways he never realized, and the prospect of playing against Alex Reyes, the nephew of the police officer his father is accused of killing, is haunting his every pitch.

Braden faces an impossible choice, one that will define him for the rest of his life, in this brutally honest debut novel about family, faith, and the ultimate test of conviction.

The Kevinian cult has taken everything from seventeen-year-old Minnow: twelve years of her life, her family, her ability to trust.

And when she rebelled, they took away her hands, too.

Now their Prophet has been murdered and their camp set aflame, and it’s clear that Minnow knows something—but she’s not talking. As she languishes in juvenile detention, she struggles to un-learn everything she has been taught to believe, adjusting to a life behind bars and recounting the events that led up to her incarceration. But when an FBI detective approaches her about making a deal, Minnow sees she can have the freedom she always dreamed of—if she’s willing to part with the terrible secrets of her past.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is a hard-hitting and hopeful story about the dangers of blind faith—and the power of having faith in oneself.

Mattie shouldn’t be at the bonfire. She should be finding new maps for her collection, hanging out with Kris, and steering clear of almost everyone else, especially Jolene. After all, Mattie and Kris dropped off the social scene the summer after sophomore year for a reason.

But now Mattie is a senior, and she’s sick of missing things. So here she is.

And there’s Jolene: Beautiful. Captivating. Just like the stories she wove. Mattie would know; she used to star in them. She and Jolene were best friends. Mattie has the scar on her palm to prove it, and Jolene has everything else, including Hudson.

But when Mattie runs into Hudson and gets a glimpse of what could have been, she decides to take it all back: the boyfriend, the friends, the life she was supposed to live. Problem is, Mattie can’t figure out where Jolene ends and she begins.

Because there’s something Mattie hasn’t told anyone—she walked away from Jolene over a year ago, but she never really left.

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

Naila’s conservative immigrant parents have always said the same thing: She may choose what to study, how to wear her hair, and what to be when she grows up—but they will choose her husband. Following their cultural tradition, they will plan an arranged marriage for her. And until then, dating—even friendship with a boy—is forbidden. When Naila breaks their rule by falling in love with Saif, her parents are livid. Convinced she has forgotten who she truly is, they travel to Pakistan to visit relatives and explore their roots. But Naila’s vacation turns into a nightmare when she learns that plans have changed—her parents have found her a husband and they want her to marry him, now! Despite her greatest efforts, Naila is aghast to find herself cut off from everything and everyone she once knew. Her only hope of escape is Saif . . . if he can find her before it’s too late.

Kate Quinn’s mom died last year, leaving Kate parentless and reeling. So when the unexpected shows up in her living room, Kate must confront another reality she never thought possible—or thought of at all. Kate does have a father. He’s a powerful politician. And he’s running for U.S. President. Suddenly, Kate’s moving in with a family she never knew she had, joining a campaign in support of a man she hardly knows, and falling for a rebellious boy who may not have the purest motives. This is Kate’s new life. But who is Kate? When what she truly believes flies in the face of the campaign’s talking points, she must decide. Does she turn to the family she barely knows, the boy she knows but doesn’t necessarily trust, or face a third, even scarier option?

Set against a backdrop of politics, family, and first love, this is a story of personal responsibility, complicated romance, and trying to discover who you are even as everyone tells you who you should be.

Identical twins Nikki and Maya have been on the same page for everything—friends, school, boys and starting off their adult lives at a historically African-American college. But as their neighborhood goes from rough-and-tumble to up-and-coming, suddenly filled with pretty coffee shops and boutiques, Nikki is thrilled while Maya feels like their home is slipping away. Suddenly, the sisters who had always shared everything must confront their dissenting feelings on the importance of their ethnic and cultural identities and, in the process, learn to separate themselves from the long shadow of their identity as twins.

In her inspired YA debut, Renée Watson explores the experience of young African-American women navigating the traditions and expectations of their culture.

Also, I majorly screwed up a post this year for the B&N Teen Blog in which I asked authors about recent purchases, and somehow left out a couple of answers. (Note to self: you are not good enough at multitasking to blog while at a work conference.) I loved what Brandy Colbert had to say about buying this book, so I’m reposting it here:

The last YA book I bought was This Side of Home by Renée Watson because a novel that deals with twins, race-based issues, and gentrification is a novel I’m automatically interested in reading. Not to mention it features a cover with a beautiful black girl’s face on the cover, something that is rare and needed in young adult fiction.

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She’s a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she’s madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she’s decided that she’s ready to take things to the next level with him.

But Kristin’s first time isn’t the perfect moment she’s planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy “parts.”

Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin’s entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

An emotional contemporary YA novel about love, loss, and having the courage to chase the life you truly want.

Reeling from her mother’s death, Georgia has a choice: become lost in her own pain, or enjoy life right now, while she still can. She decides to start really living for the first time and makes a list of fifteen ways to be brave – all the things she’s wanted to do but never had the courage to try. As she begins doing the things she’s always been afraid to do – including pursuing her secret crush, she discovers that life doesn’t always go according to plan. Sometimes friendships fall apart and love breaks your heart. But once in a while, the right person shows up just when you need them most – and you learn that you’re stronger and braver than you ever imagined.

Olivia has spent her whole life struggling to escape her dead mother’s shadow. But when her father can’t even look at her because Olivia reminds him of her mother, and her grandmother mistakenly calls her “Lillian,” shaking a reputation she didn’t ask for is next to impossible. Olivia is used to leaning on her best friend, Jamie; her handsome but hot-tempered boyfriend, Max; and their wild-child friend, Maggie, for the reality check that her small Louisiana town can’t provide. But when a terrible fight between Jamie and his father turns deadly, all Olivia can think to do is grab her friends and run.

In a flash, Olivia, Jamie, Max, and Maggie become fugitives on the back roads of Louisiana. They’re headed to New Orleans, where they hope to find a solution to an unfixable problem. But with their faces displayed on all the news stations, their journey becomes a harrowing game of hide-and-seek from the police—and so-called allies, who just might be the real enemy.

Shalanda Stanley’s breathtaking debut novel explores the deep ties between legacy, loyalty, and love, even as it asks the question: How far would you go to save a friend?

For twenty years, the Palomas and the Corbeaus have been rivals and enemies, locked in an escalating feud for over a generation. Both families make their living as traveling performers in competing shows—the Palomas swimming in mermaid exhibitions, the Corbeaus, former tightrope walkers, performing in the tallest trees they can find.

Lace Paloma may be new to her family’s show, but she knows as well as anyone that the Corbeaus are pure magia negra, black magic from the devil himself. Simply touching one could mean death, and she’s been taught from birth to keep away. But when disaster strikes the small town where both families are performing, it’s a Corbeau boy, Cluck, who saves Lace’s life. And his touch immerses her in the world of the Corbeaus, where falling for him could turn his own family against him, and one misstep can be just as dangerous on the ground as it is in the trees.

Missouri, 1849: Samantha dreams of moving back to New York to be a professional musician—not an easy thing if you’re a girl, and harder still if you’re Chinese. But a tragic accident dashes any hopes of fulfilling her dream, and instead, leaves her fearing for her life. With the help of a runaway slave named Annamae, Samantha flees town for the unknown frontier. But life on the Oregon Trail is unsafe for two girls, so they disguise themselves as Sammy and Andy, two boys headed for the California gold rush. Sammy and Andy forge a powerful bond as they each search for a link to their past, and struggle to avoid any unwanted attention. But when they cross paths with a band of cowboys, the light-hearted troupe turn out to be unexpected allies. With the law closing in on them and new setbacks coming each day, the girls quickly learn that there are not many places to hide on the open trail.

Michael is unsure about most things. Go to college? Enlist in the military? Break up with his girlfriend? All big question marks. He is living for the moment and all he wants is a few days at the biggest concert of the summer.

Cora lives in the town hosting the music festival. She’s volunteering in the medical tent. She’s like that, always the good girl. But there is something in the air at this concert and suddenly Cora finds herself wanting to push her own boundaries.

When Michael and Cora meet, sparks fly, hearts race, and all the things songs are written about come true. And all the while, three days of the most epic summer await them…

*Aforementioned Books

The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall – a fabulous and fashionable international thriller in the vein of the Da Vinci code with one of the best love triangles I’ve seen in YA

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia – a total heartbreaker that’ll mess with your head in the best way possible

Damage Done by Amanda Panitch – one of my favorite YA thrillers, period, and the rare one that actually lives up to the overused “YA Gone Girl” comp and then some

The Last Leaves Falling by Sarah (Fox) Benwell – beautiful, painful, and with so much you never see in YA, including a main character who’s both Japanese and disabled and the book actually taking place in Japan

Play On by Michelle Smith – a rare YA that puts mental health issues in the context of a sports romance, realistically exploring life with depression

The sheriff’s son, Kellan Turner, is not the golden boy everyone thinks he is, and Romy Grey knows that for a fact. Because no one wants to believe a girl from the wrong side of town, the truth about him has cost her everything—friends, family, and her community. Branded a liar and bullied relentlessly by a group of kids she used to hang out with, Romy’s only refuge is the diner where she works outside of town. No one knows her name or her past there; she can finally be anonymous. But when a girl with ties to both Romy and Kellan goes missing after a party, and news of him assaulting another girl in a town close by gets out, Romy must decide whether she wants to fight or carry the burden of knowing more girls could get hurt if she doesn’t speak up. Nobody believed her the first time—and they certainly won’t now — but the cost of her silence might be more than she can bear.

With a shocking conclusion and writing that will absolutely knock you out, All the Rage examines the shame and silence inflicted upon young women after an act of sexual violence, forcing us to ask ourselves: In a culture that refuses to protect its young girls, how can they survive? (My review here.)

Montana and her sister, Arizona, are named after the mountainous states their mother left them for. But Montana is a New York City girl through and through, and as the city heats up, she’s stepping into the most intense summer of her life.

With Arizona wrapped up in her college world and their father distracted by yet another divorce, Montana’s been immersing herself in an intoxicating new friendship with a girl from her acting class. Karissa is bold, imperfectly beautiful, and unafraid of being vulnerable. She’s everything Montana would like to become. But the friendship with Karissa is driving a wedge between Montana and her sister, and the more of her own secrets Karissa reveals, the more Montana has to wonder if Karissa’s someone she can really trust.

In the midst of her uncertainty, Montana finds a heady distraction in Bernardo. He’s serious and spontaneous, and he looks at Montana in the way she wants to be seen. For the first time, Montana understands how you can become both lost and found in somebody else. But when that love becomes everything, where does it leave the rest of her imperfect life? (My review here.)

Etta is tired of dealing with all of the labels and categories that seem so important to everyone else in her small Nebraska hometown.

Everywhere she turns, someone feels she’s too fringe for the fringe. Not gay enough for the Dykes, her ex-clique, thanks to a recent relationship with a boy; not tiny and white enough for ballet, her first passion; and not sick enough to look anorexic (partially thanks to recovery). Etta doesn’t fit anywhere— until she meets Bianca, the straight, white, Christian, and seriously sick girl in Etta’s therapy group. Both girls are auditioning for Brentwood, a prestigious New York theater academy that is so not Nebraska. Bianca seems like Etta’s salvation, but how can Etta be saved by a girl who needs saving herself?

The latest powerful, original novel from Hannah Moskowitz is the story about living in and outside communities and stereotypes, and defining your own identity. (My review here.)

It’s all Ryden’s fault. If he hadn’t gotten Meg pregnant, she would have never stopped her chemo treatments and would still be alive. Instead, he’s failing fatherhood one dirty diaper at a time. And it’s not like he’s had time to grieve while struggling to care for their infant daughter, start his senior year, and earn the soccer scholarship he needs to go to college.

The one person who makes Ryden feel like his old self is Joni. She’s fun and energetic—and doesn’t know he has a baby. But the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to keep his two worlds separate. Finding one of Meg’s journals only stirs up old emotions, and Ryden’s convinced Meg left other notebooks for him to find, some message to help his new life make sense. But how is he going to have a future if he can’t let go of the past? (My very brief review here.)

If seventeen-year-old Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing standing between straightedge Skylar and art school are three minimum-wage months of summer. Skylar can taste the freedom—that is, until her mother loses her job and everything starts coming apart. Torn between her dreams and the people she loves, Skylar realizes everything she’s ever worked for is on the line.

Nineteen-year-old Josh Mitchell had a different ticket out of Creek View: the Marines. But after his leg is blown off in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be. What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California’s dusty Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and soon, something deeper. (I failed at reviewing this, but I blogged about it on B&N Teens here and here.)

The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d’Abreau was destined for stardom—until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago can’t sing. She can’t even speak.

Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend’s invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse’s home in the Caribbean isn’t: An ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry—except for one.

Christian Kane is a notorious playboy—insolent, arrogant, and completely charming. He’s also the only person in Atargatis Cove who doesn’t treat Elyse like a glass statue. He challenges her to express herself, and he admires the way she treats his younger brother Sebastian, who believes Elyse is the legendary mermaid come to life.

When Christian needs a first mate for the Cove’s high-stakes Pirate Regatta, Elyse reluctantly stows her fear of the sea and climbs aboard. The ocean isn’t the only thing making waves, though—swept up in Christian’s seductive tide and entranced by the Cove’s charms, Elyse begins to wonder if a life of solitude isn’t what she needs. But changing course again means facing her past. It means finding her inner voice. And scariest of all, it means opening her heart to a boy who’s best known for breaking them . . . (My review here.)

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

In this poignant and hilarious novel, Rachael Allen brilliantly explores the nuances of high school hierarchies, the traumas sustained on the path to finding true love, and the joy of discovering a friend where you least expect.

In the small town of Ranburne, high school football rules and the players are treated like kings. How they treat the girls they go to school with? That’s a completely different story. Liv, Peyton, Melanie Jane, and Ana each have their own reason for wanting to teach the team a lesson—but it’s only when circumstances bring them together that they come up with the plan to steal the one thing the boys hold sacred. All they have to do is beat them at their own game. (My brief review here.)

She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach—go anywhere without her parents’ relentless worrying. But Emmy’s parents can’t seem to let her grow up—not since the day Oliver disappeared.

Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart.

He’d thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing and his thoughts swirling.

Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy’s soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles—impossible to fit together?

Readers who love Sarah Dessen will tear through these pages with hearts in throats as Emmy and Oliver struggle to face the messy, confusing consequences of Oliver’s father’s crime. Full of romance, coming-of-age emotion, and heartache, these two equally compelling characters create an unforgettable story. (My very brief review here.)

Love love LOVED. Honestly, I didn’t really have any doubt I would, because I adore Katie Cotugno’s writing – it’s so skilled and dead-on without ever feeling even the tiniest bit pretentious – and I loved the way she tackled exactly the kind of raw, flawed, emotion-driven decision-making in her debut that she does here. I know there are so many people for whom “love triangle” is a dirty phrase, but for me, when it’s done well and encapsulates the emotions of truly being torn because each leg of the triangle brings something different to the table, and each makes you feel different things, it’s an incredible thing. Obviously how you feel about this book will be affected by how you feel about cheating in general, and whether you can at least sympathize with any shades of gray, but I thought everything in this book felt understandable and true and real and I absolutely adore the honesty with which Cotugno writes. Definitely an author whose every book I’ll be buying until the end of time. (Or until one of her books breaks my heart completely. This one came a little too close for comfort, not gonna lie.)

I also have to say, it’s really cool to see an author (repeatedly) address the double standard of cheating, and how the girl’s always the one attacked. That’s a huge point to be made, and I love that she makes it. Ugh, she’s just so good. (My review here.)

On the outside, there’s Violet, an eighteen-year-old dancer days away from the life of her dreams when something threatens to expose the shocking truth of her achievement.

On the inside, within the walls of the Aurora Hills juvenile detention center, there’s Amber, locked up for so long she can’t imagine freedom.

Tying their two worlds together is Orianna, who holds the key to unlocking all the girls’ darkest mysteries…

What really happened on the night Orianna stepped between Violet and her tormentors? What really happened on two strange nights at Aurora Hills? Will Amber and Violet and Orianna ever get the justice they deserve—in this life or in another one?

In prose that sings from line to line, Nova Ren Suma tells a supernatural tale of guilt and of innocence, and of what happens when one is mistaken for the other. (My brief review here.)

Tune in for the rest of my faves of 2015 to be posted over the next week or two, and tell me in the comments – are any of these on your list? Or are they now on your TBR?

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic, via the Broke and the Bookish, is pretty self-explanatory, and in fact doesn’t actually require any exposition, either, so I’m just gonna get right to it, probably making for my most boring post ever because I possess zero pretty font skills!

Happy Top Ten Tuesday, courtesy of the Broke and the Bookish! The end of the year means my favorite topics…and also the hardest ones, and this week’s is no exception. However, making life a little easier on me is the fact that I’ve already read a bunch of my most anticipated 2016 debuts, including: